chicken with foot/leg problem

idlewilde35

In the Brooder
6 Years
Apr 20, 2013
11
3
22


I'm wondering if anybody can tell me what's going on with my hen. She's about 6 months old. Yesterday she started limping on this foot. Last night, she wouldn't get up on the roost but slept on the floor instead. Today she's hobbling (when I was trying to catch her) but mostly sitting still in the grass with her foot curled up.
She has no mucus, is eating heartily, clear eyes, and no other symptoms. The pads of both of her feet are clear so it's not bumblefoot. I've felt her leg all the way up and do not feel any broken bones.
Does anybody know if this is a symptom of some disease or just a wound I might be able to nurse her through?
 
Hate to say this but if that leg gets rapidly worse and becomes paralyzed it could be Mareks. Could also just be an injury or another disease but having one leg start to curl is not a good sign.

Has she been stressed lately? Have you had her a while?
 
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Marek's?? Yikes! I've had her since she was 2 days old. I have about 40 chickens and none seem sick except this one.
 
Marek's?? Yikes! I've had her since she was 2 days old. I have about 40 chickens and none seem sick except this one.

Maybe it isn't, let's hope not. If it gets worse and she goes down with paralysis well....then it is a possibility. I have Marek's in my flock and if one of my birds did that (it is a classic sign of Marek's taking over if they have been exposed) I would assume that's what it was.
 
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Okay thank you. I've been reading up on Marek's since you posted that and I think you are definitely onto something. I have her isolated for now and I'm just going to hope for the best. I've been reading that Vitamin B2 deficiency can have similar symptoms so I might work on that with her since it can't hurt. Thanks again!
 

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